Data-Center Panic Is Overblown, Research and Data Show

Executive Briefing

• Reveals data centers boost local employment 4–5%, with information-sector jobs rising 22% post-construction
• Debunks water crisis claims: all U.S. data centers use less than 0.5% of national freshwater annually
• Highlights electricity concerns are real but location-dependent, with Texas expanding capacity to keep prices low
• Warns anti-data-center policies risk blocking economic benefits including higher local wages and AI-driven business clusters
• Notes hyperscale AI facilities create significantly more jobs than older co-location data centers